Oh Baby
by oxcaitymariexo
Summary: After a few casual encounters, Ziva discovers she's pregnant. How will the her life change, and how will Tony handle his impending fatherhood?
1. Ziva Finds Out

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of it's characters. I do not profit from any of my silly little stories, I write fan fiction merely to pass the time while working third shift. : )**

**Author's Note: I wouldn't want Ziva to ever have a baby on the show. But there are a lot of fanfic out there about her and Tony having a baby, and I haven't seen any that really were the way I thought it would go. So I decided to write my own. Enjoy. And please review! Constructive criticism is always accepted and appreciated. Thanks. : )**

Ziva splashed her face with cold water and rubbed her eyes before looking in the mirror. She couldn't believe this was happening… to her of all people! No no no… it wasn't possible! And yet there was the stick… two lines.

She wanted to tell somebody, to hear what somebody else thought. But she knew that Tony should be the first person she told, and she wasn't ready to do that. She didn't know what she was going to do yet, and it didn't seem right to talk to him about it without knowing what she wanted. She shook her head. This could not be happening! She was so careful! She knew that an extra heavy caseload or an undercover mission could cause one to forget a pill, so she opted to get the shot every few months instead. She never missed an appointment. And yet still, the little piece of plastic on her sink said that her carefulness had done nothing to prevent this. A baby. A real, live baby. She wasn't even seriously dating Tony. They had started sleeping together a few months ago. Not on a regular basis, just every now and then. "Friends with benefits," Tony had called it. And although it was a casual thing, she hadn't slept with anyone else since they had started it. It could only be Tony's.

She shook her head again as if to shake the reality of it away. She had better finish getting ready for work, or else she'd be late. She opened the medicine cabinet and placed the pregnancy test on the top shelf. She'd have to come back to that.

An hour an a half later she was sitting at her desk. Was it just her, or was Tony particularly annoying today? Just looking at his face was irritating her. And McGee… had he always typed so _loudly_? The smell of Gibbs' coffee was enough to make her vomit. She rubbed her temples. This must all be in her head. How could she suddenly be feeling sick today, when she had been fine yesterday. Surely the symptoms of pregnancy did not just appear once you urinated on a stick. Tony was saying something to her, but she missed it.

"Hmm? What was that, Tony?" She raised an eyebrow and looked over at him.

"I _said_, 'Rough night, Zee-vuh?'" Was he always this chipper in the morning? Ugh…

"No, Tony. I am fine." She gave him a look that clearly said, "Drop it!" Of course, he didn't. Instead, he got up and stretched loudly and obnoxiously.

"Anyone we know?" He gave her that big goofy grin. Luckily, before she could decide the best way to kill him, Gibbs hung up his phone and jumped up.

"Grab your gear, we got a dead Marine." They all grabbed their things and were heading for the elevator. As Tony walked past Ziva's desk, she grabbed his arm and looked around.

"Hey, I need to speak to you." He grinned at her and put a hand on her back, pushing her towards the elevator.

"Is that your way of telling me not to make plans tonight?"

"No. Yes. No, I need to speak to you today. Without Gibbs and McGee," She whispered. He raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"David! Dinozzo! Today!" They ran for the elevator and Tony slipped a hand in just in time. As the elevator doors closed, Tony wondered what Ziva could have to talk to him so badly about.


	2. Tony Finds Out

It had been hard to find a moment alone. All day it seemed whenever Ziva was about to open her mouth, McGee would suddenly appear out of nowhere, or Gibbs would yell an order over to her. But the day was over, and she had finally pulled Tony into the ladies' room.

"Okay Ziva, if you've pulled me into here to tell me that you want to start seeing someone else seriously, it's okay. You don't have to explain anything to me, I-"

"Tony, I'm pregnant." She couldn't look at him, choosing instead to stare at the floor. He was quiet for a moment before he started laughing hysterically.

"That was really good, Ziva. You totally had me there for a minute. I think my heart may have actually stopped for a minute or someth-" She put a hand over his mouth and looked him in the eyes now. She had to be sure he knew she wasn't kidding.

"I am serious, Tony. I took a test. I am pregnant." She waited for the look in his eyes to tell her he believed her before taking her hand away and leaning on the sink.

"Wow… I…" He was speechless for a few seconds. He rubbed his head in thought. "Are you sure it's mine?" She glared at him.

"Of course I am sure, would I be telling you this if I was not sure?" She snapped.

"No no, sorry… of course not. I just can't believe it. All the women I've slept with over the years. None of them has ever gotten pregnant…" He was muttering to himself more than anything, clearly in shock. She punched his arm.

"This is your fault!"

"Whoa, whoa… Hey, I seem to remember a certain sexy little warrior princess with her hand on my butt. First move! You totally made the first move!"

"Well, you are the one with some sort of super sperm! I have been getting a birth control shot for years! It has never failed before!"

"Wait wait wait… maybe we're getting all worked up over nothing. Pregnancy tests can have false positives, right?" He held his hands out as if this was the most obvious thing ever. "How many weeks are you… y'know… late?" She looked down at her fingers, drumming them on the counter.

"Three."

"What?"

"And a half. Three and a half."

"And you didn't think to take a pregnancy test until now?" She gave him a look, annoyed now.

"I have been a little stressed. Have you not noticed that we have had little break between cases lately? It is not the first time I have been… as you said, 'late.' The box from the pregnancy test says that it is very unlikely for there to be a false positive. I have made a doctor's appointment for tomorrow, four o'clock." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Okay… do you want me to go with you or something?" He crossed his as well, looking nervous.

"And do what? Hold my hand while I pee on another stick? No," She shook her head. "I will already have to explain my absence to Gibbs, it would look very suspicious to have to explain both of us leaving."

"Oh God… Gibbs is going to kill me…" Tony looked like he might be sick.

"Yes Tony, worry about yourself here, because obviously this is about you!" She hissed at him. "In case you hadn't noticed, I am the one who may have to make one of the most important decisions of her life here! But please, worry about getting headslapped by Gibbs." She threw her arms up in disbelief, he was so immature sometimes! He uncrossed his arms and reached out to touch her elbow.

"Whoa whoa, what do you mean 'decision?' You wouldn't seriously consider…" She cut him off.

"I am not ready to have this conversation yet, Tony. I only found out about this situation myself this morning. I should have waited to tell you, I see that now. But I was just… in shock. I needed to tell someone. Let us wait until my doctor's appointment before we discuss our… options." And with that, she pushed past him and out the door, leaving him alone with his thoughts.


	3. The Discussion

Disclaimer Again: I don't own NCIS.

**The doctor had confirmed what she knew he would, and Ziva sat in her car. She hadn't turned it on yet, and she stared out the window at nothing in particular. Tony was waiting for her call, but she wasn't ready to move yet. She felt slightly ill, and she wasn't sure if that was the shock of it all or morning sickness. Her phone pinged and she flipped it open. It was a text from an impatient Tony. "Well?" It said. She texted him back, "Yes. Meet me at my house so we can discuss this." **

**When she got to her apartment, he was already there. Sitting in the hallway, back against her door. He hopped up when he saw her, and they stared at each other for a few seconds before she took out her keys and opened it, gesturing for him to go in. She hung up her coat and took off her shoes before either of them spoke.**

"**Would you like something to drink?" He had taken a seat on the couch and she stood in the doorway to the kitchen. He laughed.**

"**Is that how you start a conversation like this?"**

"**I do not know, Tony! I have never had to have this conversation before!" She threw her hands up and went to sit next to him. "The doctor says that I am almost eight weeks pregnant. They took blood and gave me a prescription for vitamins. I asked him if the birth control shot would have any ill effects on the baby, but he said no…"**

**She pulled her legs up to sit with them crossed, and put her hands on her knees, as if she was going to meditate. They were quiet again, both in thought, when Tony reached over and touched her arm gently.**

"**We could get married. I'm not gonna lie, this isn't the way I pictured this all happening, but… Dinozzo men do not run from their responsibilities." She snorted, and then she was laughing so hard it took a minute for her to recover. He looked a little hurt and she rubbed his arm soothingly.**

"**Tony, that is very sweet, but I do not want you to marry me. I thought about this all night. Actually, I have thought of nothing else since yesterday." She stared at the coffee table now, hands going back to her knees. She took a deep breath. "I never thought that I would have children. The life of a Mossad officer is not really conducive to starting a family. Especially for a female officer. When I think of all the missions I have been on… especially my time in Somalia… I can not imagine what it would have been like to have a child somewhere, waiting for me to come home." She looked at him now and gave him a small smile. "But I am not a Mossad officer anymore. I am an NCIS agent. And an American citizen. Other agents have children, I have seen their photos." She searched his face for a moment before nodding. "I am keeping this baby. I will give you time to decide what it is that you would like to do. If you want to be involved, we will figure something out. One of us will have to be reassigned to another team. If you do not want to be involved, Tony, no one has to know. I will not tell anyone that the baby is yours."**

**He looked at her incredulously. She was giving him an out? She had just found out that her entire life was about to change, and she was giving him and out? A few years ago, if a woman would have told him that she was pregnant with his baby, but he didn't have to take responsibility if he didn't want to, it **_**might**_** have been a dream come true. But this was Ziva. His partner, his friend, his sometimes lover. And this was his baby. He wasn't getting any younger. No, he didn't want the out; he wanted to be a dad. He put on his best Tony grin.**

"**Well, Ziva, when this baby comes out with a full head of hair and my charming good looks, everyone's going to know, anyway. Dinozzo's have very strong genes. So I guess I have no choice but to be involved."**

**She knew he was as nervous as she was, the jokes were always Tony's way of coping with things. But she was relieved that she wouldn't have to do this alone. They sat in a comfortable silence, both in thought, until a look of terror came on her face.**

"**Okay, but you have to tell Gibbs!" Tony's face went white.**

"**Can't we flip a coin or something?"**


	4. Papa Don't Preach

They had flipped a coin, and Tony had lost. But he somehow convinced Ziva that Gibbs was far less likely to kill her than him. Gibbs _liked_ children, he wouldn't kill her while she was carrying one inside of her. And so, Monday morning, she found herself sitting at her desk, feeling nauseous. She knew it wasn't morning sickness, it was nerves. How had she let Tony talk her into this? She looked across the bullpen at him, but he was no comfort. He was tapping his foot nervously and staring at his computer screen.

They had spent all weekend discussing what their work options would be. They had decided that after Ziva told Gibbs, they would have to tell Vance. He could then decide what to do with them. Tony only hoped that Gibbs wouldn't make sure he was assigned to be agent afloat in Siberia. Or worse, Ziva hadn't been an agent that long, they couldn't fire her over something like procreating with a coworker, could they? Tony wondered where he could find an employee handbook to look that up and see if it was really against policy, or just frowned upon. The elevator dinged and they both jumped a little and looked up. It was Gibbs.

Ziva took a deep breath, counted to three, and then stood up.

"Gibbs! Ah, I need to speak to you, please." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, speak, David."

"I need to speak to you in private." She nodded towards the elevator. McGee looked up from his computer curiously. Gibbs nodded and took her by the arm, pulling her in that direction. Tony watched nervously. Once the doors had shut, Gibbs flipped the switch. They both stood there, Ziva unable to look at him.

"Well? What's the problem, Ziva?" He asked impatiently.

"Gibbs... I… I do not know how to say this. You are going to be very angry."

"Angry?" He questioned.

"Well, maybe 'angry' is not the word. "Disappointed,' maybe. Upset in some way…" She was gesturing with her hands animatedly.

"Spit it out, Ziva!"

"Gibbs… I'm pregnant. And before you say anything," She put a finger to his lips, "No rules were technically broken. Tony and I are not dating, we were merely… keeping each other company. We did not mean for this to happen." She put her hands down at her sides and looked down at her feet. Like a child, awaiting punishment.

"Tony? You've been sleeping with Tony?" She nodded. "And now you're pregnant?" Another nod. "With Tony's baby?" Nod. Ziva bit her lip, unsure of what was coming next.

Gibbs shook his head and stared at the wall for a second before flipping the switch back on and heading for the bullpen. Tony watched him coming with wide eyes. He headed straight to Tony's desk and headslapped him three times in a row.

"What were you thinking, Dinozzo?" He yelled. "Did you think the rules were optional? Did you ever stop to think that maybe they're there for a reason? Do you think I _like_ training _new_ agents?" McGee was watching from his desk, mouth open. Ziva watched from near the elevator doors. She slowly made her way closer to her desk.

"I'm sorry, Boss! I wasn't thinking-" Tony put up his hands as if to show penance.

"That's right, Tony, you weren't thinking. Now both of you," He glared from Tony to Ziva and back, "Go home. Go home until I can figure out what to do with you." And with that he stalked away, around the corner and up the stairs towards MTAC.

Everyone was quiet, and then McGee let out a low whistle.

"I don't know what you two did, but you definitely pissed off the bossman." Tony gave him the evil eye and then looked at Ziva. She shrugged.

"Well, that could've went worse."


	5. Family Talk

**A/N: This one's a little mushy, and some might think that Gibbs is out of character, but I don't. I think he can be very caring, in his own way. Anyway, this one's short.**

Gibbs sat on a stool in his basement, sanding away at something small. A pair of feet appeared at the top of his stairs and he looked up.

"You going to stand there all night?" He called up. Ziva made her way down, smiling apologetically.

"I was just collecting my thoughts." She looked around the basement and came over to lean on the worktable by him. He got up to offer her the stool, and she waved the offer away. He stayed standing. They stood in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, until Gibbs cleared his throat. Ziva put a hand on his arm.

"Gibbs, I know that you are disappointed in me and Tony. But you of all people should understand. You and Jenny were partners…" He gave her a look and she held her hands up. "Okay, okay. But you know what I mean. I have not spoken to my father, or anyone else at Mossad for almost a year now. Sometimes I feel… lonely when I leave the office. Tony is my partner, we're together all day, trusting that we have each other's backs…"

"I don't need to hear this, Ziva." She shook her head at him.

"Yes, you do. Because I have no one left, Gibbs. No family. I want you to understand. I want to have your blessing on this. I admit, I was scared when I found out about the baby, but now… I'm excited, Gibbs." She turned away from him, as if embarrassed to be showing him how she felt. "I'm excited to have someone to care about. Even before I went to Israel, I haven't been a part of a real family for a long time. I am… ready to not be alone anymore."

She bit her lip, she wasn't used to saying things like this, and she knew that Gibbs wasn't used to hearing them. To her relief he gently grabbed her arm and turned her around, pulling her into a hug.

Gibbs remembered the time that Ducky had told him that he was an old chauvinist. It was true. Even if the woman in question could beat any man he knew in a hand to hand battle, she was still a woman. And he couldn't stand to see one of his girls look so upset. He hadn't really been _angry_ earlier, just disappointed. This was going to effect his whole team. And he hadn't meant to walk away from her in the elevator without saying anything, he just hadn't know what to say. But he knew the perfect thing to say now.

"You were never alone, Ziver."


	6. Someone's Looking Out For Tony

Tuesday morning, Tony walked into the office. He wasn't surprised to see Ziva had gotten there first, but he was surprised to see how calmly she was typing away at her computer. He hadn't talked to her the night before. They had spent all weekend together, they both needed some space to think. He dropped his things down on his desk and was about to say something to her when he heard his name from somewhere above his head.

"Dinozzo. My office. Now." Vance was leaning on the rail to the catwalk, toothpick in his mouth.

"Coming, sir." Tony gave Ziva a questioning look, but she just smiled at him encouragingly.

"No matter what happens, we will be fine, Tony." He nodded and headed up the stairs.

Leon Vance was already sitting behind his desk when Tony came in and shut the door. He went over to stand in front of the desk.

"Um, sir…" One hand went up to rub nervously at the back of his head. Vance silenced him with a look.

"I hear we have a situation, Dinozzo." He paused, setting his toothpick down. "Two of my best agents can no longer work together. That leaves me without a lot of choices. You've been with the agency for a while now, and you're a good agent. Your sense of humor leaves something to be desired sometimes, but you get the job done." He leaned back and put his arms behind his head. "On the other hand, I have personally pulled a lot of strings to help Agent David become an American citizen. She's an excellent agent, too. Not many like her out there."

"How come I'm "good," but she's 'excellent'?" Tony asked, but the look Vance gave him told him to shut up. The director stared at him for a little while, and Tony was getting more and more nervous. 'This is it,' he thought, 'He's gonna can me.'

"I have another situation. Arthur Henderson is retiring in two months. The most senior agent on his team has only been with him for two years, there's no way Henderson can leave him in charge." He picked up the toothpick, putting it back in his mouth. "I know that Jenny Sheppard offered you your own team once. In Spain. I also know that you turned her down." He paused for suspense. "But that was a long time ago. And Spain is very far away. Like I said, you're a good agent. And I think you might be ready."

Tony could not believe he was hearing this right. Vance grinned at his obviously shocked expression.

"I am reassigning you to Henderson's team for the next two months. Prove yourself to him as you have to Gibbs and then we'll talk." Vance stood up. That Dinozzo grin slowly spread across Tony's face, and he almost tripped over himself trying to shake the director's hand.

"Ah, Thank you, sir. Thank you!"

"This is effective immediately, Dinozzo. Go pack up your desk. And don't thank me, thank Gibbs. He came in here yesterday morning and told me about you and Ziva. He reminded me about Arthur." Leon came around the desk and patted Tony on the back.

"Now go." As Tony headed out of the office, he called after him. "Oh, and Dinozzo? Congratulations."


	7. Four Months Pregnant

Everything had fallen into place so nicely the last two months that Ziva could hardly believe it. Good things like this did not usually just happen for her. But here she was, sitting at her desk, checking her email. She felt the baby's movements and smiled. It was like a whole swarm of butterflies were dancing around in there. She couldn't wait for the movements to become big enough to feel them on the outside, but she enjoyed being the only one who could feel them for now.

She knew that Tony, of course, couldn't wait to feel the baby move. He was so excited about everything lately, having just got his new team. And now they were only a few weeks away from finding out the sex of the baby. His lease was up soon on his apartment, and he was in the process of buying a condo. That famous Dinozzo grin never seemed to leave his face.

But she was thinking about Abby now, for some reason. Abby had been so sweet since they'd told her. When Ziva needed a morning sickness remedy, Abby had looked up a good one for her. Sometimes the mood swings were almost too much for Ziva to handle, and Abby would hang out with her after work and let her vent. One day when Ziva was in a particularly blue mood, Abby'd even used the morphing program that was still on McGee's computer to show Ziva different possibilities for the appearance of her and Tony's baby. She was teaching herself how to crochet, wanting so badly to make a blanket for the baby. Ziva chuckled to herself, wondering if it was possible to crochet a skull into a blanket. She had never thought she would be the kind of woman to let another person touch her pregnant belly, but she knew she would let Abby. The forensic scientist had become less like a coworker and more like a very good friend lately.

Abby and McGee had both been shocked when they found out. Not really about the baby as much as the fact that Tony and Ziva had been sleeping together and Tony had managed to keep it a secret. But they were both very supportive. She had almost started to feel like a team mascot, the way they tried to treat her. They had tried to baby her at first, bringing her snacks and things to drink and constantly asking her how she felt. She had put a stop to that nonsense.

She had promised both Gibbs and Vance that she would be professional in the office. As it was, they weren't going to let her do field work for much longer. Vance said she had until she was showing, and already her jeans didn't fit. She was looping a rubber band through the button hole and looping the two ends around the button to keep from having to wear maternity pants. If she wore a long and baggy enough shirt, you couldn't tell. For now. Who knew how long she'd be able to keep stretching that rubber band? Tony had promised to stay professional as well. She still remembered the conversation they had had in the elevator. Gibbs had pulled them both in, not long after Tony had been reassigned. After the discussion they had started to leave the elevator, and he had put a hand out to stop them.

"Oh, and Dinozzo? I had better not see any grab ass in this office. Period. You may not be on my team any more, but Ziva still is. I will make her life miserable, and then she will make yours miserable. Understand?" Tony had gulped and nodded.

"Yes, Boss.. Uh, Gibbs."

Ziva laughed now, thinking about it. And then she sighed. There had been no grab ass, of course, because they were not a couple. Not that she had wanted there to be. Not that she was in love with Tony or anything, but she was finding herself feeling jealous of the pretty blonde girl that was on Tony's new team. Well, _he_ seemed to think she was pretty, anyway. He didn't necessarily flirt with the girl, but Ziva knew she was his type. Personally, she thought the girl was kind of plain. Not much to look at at all. Her hair wasn't even that blonde; more of a dirty blonde. And her eyes were too close together. She wrinkled her nose, slightly disgusted with herself for being so petty. She decided to blame it on the hormones.

Just then, Tony walked past the bullpen with his team following, towards the direction of the elevator. He smiled when he saw her and winked.

"Mobile campfire, my little probies. I wanna hear ideas!" He called behind him to the junior agents. She felt her face go a little pink at the look he had given her. Definitely the hormones.

Later that night, Ziva was in her kitchen, stirring a very large pot with a wooden spoon. She had been happy to come home and slip into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. She sipped the broth to test it and nodded, pleased with herself. There was a knock at the door and she set the spoon down, going to let Tony in.

She opened the door and he was grinning, holding a big bouquet of wild flowers and a DVD.

"Hey good lookin', what's cooking?" She laughed and pulled him in, shutting the door. She eyed the flowers cautiously.

"Are those for me?" He handed them to her, still grinning.

"Of course. Can't a man do something nice for his Baby Mama once in awhile? Oomph!" She punched him not too lightly in the stomach.

"If you call me that again this will be the last child you ever help conceive. It is degrading." She went into the kitchen to find a vase.

"It was only a joke!" He called after her, rubbing his abs. When she was out of his sight, she gave the flowers a sniff, smiling. It _was_ sweet, even if he was an idiot. She found a vase and arranged them on the table. When she turned around, Tony had taken off his shoes and coat and was leaning in the doorway, grinning.

"You cooking for an army?" He nodded towards the pot on the stove. She went over to stir it again.

"No. It is chicken soup, an old family recipe. It's getting colder out, and I thought I would make enough to freeze some. For me it is a.. ah… comfort food, yes?" He came over and stuck his finger right into the pot, putting a chunk of chicken into his mouth.

"Mmm… good!" She swatted him with the spoon.

"Do not put your dirty fingers in our dinner. Go and wash your hands and then make yourself useful." She pointed over to the loaf of bread sitting on a cutting board. "Slice the bread."

When they had dinner together, they usually ate in the living room. But Tony's flowers made such a nice centerpiece that Ziva made him eat at the table. When they had finished cleaning up, Tony popped his DVD into her laptop. He still couldn't believe that she didn't own a television. They had put the computer on the coffee table and sat on the couch, watching 'The Next Best Thing' with Madonna and Rupert Everett. Tony had told her it wasn't really a _great_ movie, per se, but it was about two friends having a baby together, so he thought she should see it. As the movie finished, they sat in silence for a few minutes. Tony was starting to think that maybe he had picked the wrong movie; Ziva looked deep in thought and slightly troubled.

"You okay?" He looked over at her.

"Yes, I am fine." She nodded. "But it does make you think… what if one of us meets someone? I do not want my child to have strangers coming in and out of their life."

"And I do? To be honest, Ziva…" He paused, searching her face before saying what he'd been wanting to say for awhile now.

"The thought of you with anyone else at all drives me absolutely crazy. I don't know how I'd feel if you were playing house with someone else and our child."

She frowned at him, was he saying what she thought he was saying? She held his gaze, wanting no misunderstandings here.

"I do not want to play house with anyone else, Tony." He reached over and grabbed her hand.

"Alright then, we're already having a baby together. We spend time together a few nights a week. You cook for me, I'm charming and cute for you. The only thing we're not doing is sleeping together, and we've done that." He laughed at the look she gave him. "Why don't we just put it out there. I don't want to date anyone else, and I don't want you to date anyone else."

"Are you asking me to go study with you, Tony?" She teased lightly.

"The term is 'steady.' And yeah, I guess so." He shrugged. She looked away.

"I do not want you to feel that you must try to make this work, Tony. For the baby's sake. That is not a healthy start to a relationship." He took her chin in his hand and made her look at him again. His face was all seriousness now, a rare look for Anthony Dinozzo.

"I would never do anything I didn't want to do. Baby or not, Ziva… I'm ready to be with a _woman_, and you're the woman I want to be with." He pulled her closer to him and into a kiss. Small at first, but then his hands were wrapping themselves in her hair. When he broke away from her mouth to trail a few kisses along her jaw line towards her ear, she let out a small laugh and pushed him away playfully.

"_That_, Tony, is the reason we found ourselves in this predicament to begin with."


	8. The beginnings of Love

**A/N: This is not smut. It is a little fluffy, I know. I wasn't going to change my rating at first, but I ended up doing it just to be safe.**

**This takes place the same night as the last chapter. The last one had been my longest one yet, so I broke this piece off and let it stand alone. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill.**

Tony had had sex with Ziva on a handful of occasions. He knew just how beautiful and sexy she was naked. He knew the way her curls looked crushed underneath her when she was lying on her back. He knew the way they looked falling over her shoulders when he was lying on his. He knew what it was like to kiss her goodnight and go home to his own bed, alone. It was like a favor two friends did for each other. Scratching an itch. It was comfortable because they were friends, but it was still more about the act than the people playing a part in it.

It was nothing like making love to her. It was nothing like taking his time with her; breathing in the scent of her hair and watching her face when she lost control. It was nothing like having her fall asleep in his arms. He had felt so overwhelmed, he had almost told her he loved her. But he knew it was too soon for that. Too soon for either of them. He would not let this baby rush them. He did not want there to be any misunderstandings or doubts over why they were together.

She had never let him stay the night before. He watched her sleep for awhile, spooned against her back, propped up on one elbow. His other hand lightly rubbed it's way back and forth across the small swell of a belly that was starting to grow. She was going to be a wonderful mother, he didn't doubt that. They would make a great team. He was still a little surprised at himself, at the feelings he had over the whole thing. Giving up his independence for fatherhood was not something he'd ever thought he'd do lightly. Maybe he'd grown up in the last year.

He _was _terrified sometimes. But ever since Ziva had first told him about the baby, all he could think about was his mother. He remembered all the good, childhood feelings that were wrapped up in her memory. This was going to be his child. His family. It was something he had never even known that he wanted. And now all he knew was that he would never let anything come between them.

He kissed her temple and leaned over to shut the bedside lamp off. Just as he finally started to doze off, he heard the first snore. He groaned and nudged her to roll over. When he said anything, he had meant _anything_. He wondered how badly she'd hurt him if he showed up to her door next time with nose strips instead of flowers. Maybe he'd just have to invest in a good set of earplugs.


	9. Benched

Gibbs was driving back to the office, silently fuming. Ziva sat in the passenger seat, the look on her face a mix between annoyed and sulking. McGee and their new "probie" agent, Jason McKenzie, sat in the back, quietly trying to pretend that they were not there. The tension in the car was almost tangible. When the car finally came to a stop in the parking lot, McGee and McKenzie quickly exited and almost ran for the building. Gibbs got out and slammed his door, leaving Ziva to watch him go. She took her seat belt off and got out, chasing after him.

"Gibbs! Gibbs, can we discuss this?" She caught up to him and matched his pace.

"Ziva, there is nothing to discuss!" He didn't look at her, just kept walking.

They had been in the park, questioning the friends of a dead petty officer. When one of the men ran, Ziva instinctively ran after him. She chased him through the park and down into the woods. Just when she thought that she had lost him, he jumped out from behind a tree, swinging. Of course, his fist never connected. He was no match for Ziva, and she had taken him down within seconds. He was on the ground begging for his life before the rest of the team had even caught up with them.

"Gibbs! I didn't mean to do it…it will not happen again!" She touched his arm, and he turned to grab both of her shoulders, looking her squarely in the eye.

"You're right. It won't. What you pulled back there was… irresponsible!"

"I know! But he _did not _touch me!"

"What if that guy had had a knife? Or a gun?"

"He was not armed!"

"That's not the point! He could've been! For Chrissake, Ziva, you have got to start using that head of yours! " He was shaking her a little now.

"It was a reflex… I did not think…" She tried to defend, weakly, but he cut her off.

"Yeah? Did you think about me having to tell Tony that something happened to you and his baby because you couldn't stop yourself from chasing down some punk ass kid? You're going to be a mother soon! Start thinking!"

And that was what this was really all about. Gibbs couldn't just come out and say that he had been worried about her. That his heart had skipped a few beats when she ran off after the guy. Or that he held his breath, not letting it out until he saw her kneeling on the scum in the woods. Her hand went up to cup his cheek. His eyed searched hers for a second, and he let go of her arms.

"Gibbs… I am not going to stop being an agent just because I am becoming a mother. I know that it is dangerous work sometimes, but it is who I am. After this baby is born, I am coming back to work. Tony accepts that. We have already discussed it." He turned away from her hand, effectively shaking it off.

"I know that, Ziva. I don't want you to stop being an agent. But you're a distraction to your team right now. We can't be worried about what you'll do next when we're trying to solve a case. You're doing desk work until you come back from maternity leave. No more field work until that baby is safely out of there." A finger went to cover her lips before she could protest again. "You told me you wouldn't argue when the time came for you to be benched. I'm benching you. Understand?" She swallowed back her argument and nodded.

"Good." They headed for the building, and though Ziva was dreading being chained to a desk, she knew he was right. Once inside, she headed for her desk and he headed up the stairs for the catwalk. As she sat down, she heard him call over his shoulder.

"And stop with the damn rubber band already. Before it pops off and kills somebody!" Her eyes widened. How did he always know everything? She looked up, and he was standing against the railing with a smile on his face and one eyebrow lifted. She smiled a little and nodded. Tomorrow she'd have to finally try on some of those maternity pants.


	10. Ultrasound, part 1

**A/N: It is cruel and unusual punishment to make a pregnant woman drink that amount of water and let not let her pee. **_**Seriously**_**!**

**Disclaimer: I totally own NCIS. Except for the parts that I don't own, which is all of them.**

Ziva returned from the restroom and sat down at her desk with a sigh. She cracked open a bottle of water and took a small sip. She looked around the office and drummed her fingers against her keyboard lightly. This afternoon was her ultrasound appointment, and she was nervous. The paper that the doctor had given her told her to drink at least two eight ounce glasses of water, a couple hours before her appointment. The problem was, every time she drank the water, she had to urinate. And every time she went to the restroom, she'd start over and drink more water. She was starting to get very uncomfortable. She didn't want there to not be enough water in there for whatever reason it was supposed to be in there, but she also didn't want to explode.

Tomorrow was Thanksgiving and the doctor's office would be closed. If they couldn't do her ultrasound, she'd have to wait until next week. She wanted very badly to see her baby today, so she kept drinking.

The rest of the team, Gibbs, McGee, and Jason McKenzie, were all out in the field. She had only been tethered to her desk for a couple weeks and she was already fighting the urge to pull her hair out. The elevator dinged and Abby came squealing into the bullpen, pigtails bouncing.

"Oh, Ziva! Is it time for you to go yet? Is Tony here yet? Are you ready? Why don't you have your coat on?" She was rubbing her hands together like a little kid, and Ziva had to laugh.

"It is not quite time yet, Abby. Tony should be here soon. I was just going to get my things together." She stood up to put her coat on. Suddenly, Ducky appeared from around the corner.

"Oh, there you are, Abby, I was looking for you. Getting ready to go, I see, Ziva?" He handed the file he had been carrying to Abby and gave Ziva a small hug. "Good luck, dear. Everything will be fine, I'm sure." He winked. "I hope it's a boy in there."

"Thank you, Ducky." Ziva smiled and Abby laughed.

"He only hopes it's a boy because that's what he bet on in the pool. But if he wins he has to split it with me, because I bet boy, too."

"Who bet girl?" Ziva wondered.

"McGee and Vance. Gibbs says boy, too." Ziva smiled again and shook her head. Just then, the elevator pinged again and the rest of the crew plus Tony filed out.

"Ready?" He asked, taking her arm. He looked nervous, but excited, too, with that big old Dinozzo grin. Everyone said their goodbyes and good lucks and they headed for the elevator with Abby following. She waved as the door closed and called after them, "Bring back pictures!"


	11. Ultrasound Results

Ziva sat cross legged on her couch. One hand was holding onto her book, the other was absentmindedly rubbing Tony's head as he had it laying on her lap. His lease was up on his apartment, and he hadn't closed on his new condo yet, so he was staying with her there. She was reading baby names out loud to him and he was turning them all down. She sighed.

"Tony, there has to be _one_ name you like!" She put her book down on the end table, exasperated. "I have read you a hundred names!"

"None of them sound right! And half of those sound made up!" He sat up, annoyed. "Where did you get that book, anyway?"

"From the bookstore, that is where one generally purchases books." She rolled her eyes at him. He picked up the sonogram picture off the coffee table and frowned at it.

When they had returned to the office earlier, Abby was sitting at Ziva's desk, spinning in the chair. McGee and McKenzie were at their own desks, working away. When she heard them get off the elevator, Abby jumped up and ran over, a large poster board sign in here hands. There were pictures of little cartoonish pirate skeletons all over it and "It's a Boy!" written in black spidery lettering. She jumped up and down, following them back to the bullpen.

"So? So?"

The others came to stand around them, expectantly. Ziva looked at Abby's sign and laughed.

"What if it's a girl, Abby?" Abby smiled and flipped the sign over. This side had girl skeletons with eyelashes and pink bows. "It's a Girl!" was written in that same black writing. Tony took the sign out of her hands and held it side ways in suspense for a moment, making a drum roll sound. Ziva swatted him a little and he flipped it over for them, grinning.

"Aw, man!" McGee and McKenzie reached for their wallets.

"Pay up, Timmy, Jason!" Abby held her hand out to them. They forked over the money and she was counting it out when Gibbs walked by and snatched a few of the bills from her hand.

"Told ya it was a boy." He smiled and went over to his desk, grabbing his stuff. "Gear up, we got a dead marine."

McGee and McKenzie gave their congratulations and hurried to their desks to get their things. Gibbs patted Tony's back and squeezed Ziva's shoulder as he went past them and headed out.

They had rode home together, of course, debating names during the ride. They had debated names during dinner. And now, they were both freshly showered and in their pajamas, still debating names.

"We could name him Anthony," she suggested again.

"I told you, there are enough Anthony Dinozzo's in the world already."

"Hey, we haven't decided on Dinozzo _yet_." She teased, trying to get him out of his bad mood.

"Oh yes we have." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well if his last name is going to be Dinozzo, I think that he should have a Hebrew first name. He is Jewish, after all."

"Half Jewish." He stood up and offered her his hand to pull her up as well.

"No, he is Jewish because his Mother is Jewish. That is how it works." He thought about that for a moment and then nodded.

"How about, you make a list of names that you like, and I'll make a list of names that I like. Then we'll compare."

"Alright," she nodded, too. "But not tonight."

"Agreed." And he headed off for the bedroom.

A couple hours later, Tony was lying on his back on the bed, arms behind his head. Ziva was cuddled up next to him, her head on his bare chest and sheet pulled up to their waists. Her hand on his stomach was still, and her breaths were coming steady and even.

"Ziva?" He questioned quietly. There was no answer, so he kissed the top of her head and whispered, "I love you."

Her eyes flew open, and she bit her lip in thought. She stayed still for a few moments before smiling and turning her head up to look at him.

"I love you, too."


	12. Whose The Boss?

Ziva had been in this country for a few years now. This was not her first Christmas Season, but it _was_ her first Christmas with a Christmas tree. Santa's big day was only a week away, and she and Tony were trying to decide where to put the tree in the new condo. Boxes were against the walls, some open and some still sealed. The furniture, at least, was mostly in the right places. They decided to put it in front of the large dining room window, careful not to block the Menorah that was perched on the windowsill.

The Menorah had been a sort of house-warming present to Ziva from Tony for her deciding to move in with him. His way of showing her that this was her home now, too.

They had been moving the things from Tony's storage unit into the U-haul (well, Ziva had been supervising Tony and his buddies move everything) when he asked her. Tony stopped moving things to take a rest and put an arm around her waist. She laid her head on his shoulder. He had been staying with her for a few weeks, and she made some quiet comment about missing him when he was gone. He didn't even blink.

"Move in with me."

She had took a step away from him to look at his face. He was still watching the others load up the truck. His face did not betray any feeling. He might as well have said 'Nice weather we're having.' She knew that the only other woman he had ever asked to move in with him had been Jeanne, so long ago. But those were different circumstances, and he had seemed so unsure about it afterwards. He didn't seem unsure now. He looked like he had just asked her the most natural thing in the world. She laid her head back on his shoulder.

"You sure?" He nodded.

"I've gotten so used to you cooking for me now, I might starve on my own. Besides, my big old bed will feel lonely." He gave her a half smile and a little squeeze and went back to help the guys.

And so they had moved his things that weekend, and hers the next. She had no lease where she was at, and her rent was already paid to the end of the month.

Although they were far from done unpacking, and had tons of work to do on the new place, Tony had insisted on the tree. What was Christmas without a tree? And he wanted their first Christmas together to be special. After they had decorated the tree and put the star on top, he turned the lights out and pulled her to sit on his lap in their big armchair. They sat quietly for awhile, enjoying the glow from the tree lights and each other peacefully.

Peaceful feelings did not, however, always last. Monday morning Ziva threw her bag down behind her desk and kicked it over to the corner with rage. The guys on her team raised eyebrows at each other. She slammed her body down into her chair and fumed.

"Everything okay, Ziva?" Gibbs asked with a small smirk. He knew enough about women to know that Tony had probably done something. He was right. Before she could answer, Tony came stomping into the bullpen and straight to her desk. He put his hands on it and leaned across, face close to hers.

"We are not done talking about this, Zee-vuh."

"Oh yes we are, To-nee!" She seethed and then jumped up to look him in the eye. "I am not a child and you will not tell me what to do!"

"If you didn't _act_ like a child, I wouldn't _have_ to tell you what to do." The look in her eyes when he said that made him back up a little. He mentally took inventory of the things on her desk, wondering what she'd pick as the weapon to kill him with. Instead she punched him once, hard, in the chest.

"If I am such a child, why are you the one who is insisting on arguing about this at work, hmmm? You followed me up here and now you're making McGee uncomfortable!" She nodded towards McGee who looked up at the sound of his name and put his hands up as if to say, 'Don't bring me into this!'

"C'mon, you're being unreasonable!" Tony crossed his arms and turned to Gibbs. "Gibbs… tell her she's being unreasonable!" Gibbs stood up and crossed his own arms, looking from one of them to the other.

"What is this all about?" He asked, against his better judgment. He didn't want to get involved, but he wanted this to be over and done with so that they could get back to work.

"She almost killed me this morning… and I don't think she should be driving anymore until after the baby's born." Tony told him, matter-of-factly.

"I did not, and he tried to _take away my keys_. Like he was my father or something!" She threw her hands up, exasperated.

"You drive like a maniac!"

"You are such a big baby sometimes!"

"You. Drive. Like. A. Maniac!" He repeated.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Enough!" Gibbs shouted, coming to stand between them. The both turned away from each other, arms folded and sulking like children. "You two stop arguing right now or I'll headslap you both!" He shook his head at the look they gave him.

"You wouldn't-" They both started.

"I don't care that you're not on my team anymore, Dinozzo. And you're not pregnant in the head, David. Now both of you, knock it off and get to work."

They gave each other the evil eye and Tony turned to head back to his own team. Ziva sat down and watched him leave. He was so infuriating sometimes!


	13. You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

**A/N: I know that Ziva is Jewish, but I know very little about Judaism and Hanukah. So rather than me butcher the traditions of an important holiday, we're just going to say that they celebrated it, but I just didn't write about it. Ok? Ok!**

It was Christmas Eve and everyone from Team Gibbs, plus a few people from Team Dinozzo were at a small bar, celebrating. Tony leaned against the bar, waiting to get the bartender's attention. His eyes scanned the room, stopping at the table his friends occupied. They had even gotten Gibbs to come out, much to Abby's delight. The blonde girl from Tony's team, whose name was Megan, and another one of his teammates, Dan, had come out and they were chatting away with Palmer and Abby. He smiled, enjoying the sight of everyone together and happy. That is, until his eyes fell on Jason McKenzie. Tim walked past Tony just then, and Tony grabbed his arm.

"Hey! McGee! Keep your McPartner from McOgling Ziva or I'll break his McLegs."

Tony still thought it was hilarious that they had added another "McAgent" to Gibbs' team. However, he did not find it hilarious that McKenzie's eyes were following Ziva as she was dancing with Ducky. Especially when she was wearing a festive red dress that had lifted itself to just above her knees when she stretched her arms up to put them around the older man's neck. Her hair was down and curly, a red headband holding it away from her face, and she was smiling. She looked very pretty and Tony was thoroughly annoyed.

Ziva laughed at something Ducky said and Jason grinned. That was it, Tony lifted himself up off the bar, and Tim put a hand on his chest.

"Tony… let me handle this…" Tony looked at him for a second and then nodded. He already had a few drinks in him, and a drunken fight on Christmas Eve seemed in poor taste. McGee headed over to Jason and whispered something in his ear. Jason's eyes went big as saucers and he glanced in Tony's direction. Tony gave him a sarcastic smile and a little wave and he put his hands up as if to say sorry and crossed to the other side of the table, effectively turning his back on the dance floor.

A few minutes later, the song was over. Ziva gave Ducky a kiss on the cheek and headed over to Tony, smiling. He handed her a bottle of water and then pulled her close, turning her around to hug her from behind. She took a sip of the water and he whispered in her ear.

"You ready to go home?" She nodded. He placed a tip on the bar and they went over to the table to say goodbye and Merry Christmas to everyone. As they were heading for the door, Tony turned back, making the "I'm watching you" sign to Jason. Jason gulped and scooted closer to Abby.

Once outside, Ziva raised her eyebrows at him.

"What was that all about?"

"Nothing…" He took her hand and led her towards his car. She laughed and shook her head.

"You are such a pain in my head, sometimes."

"The term is either 'pain in the neck,' or 'pain in the ass,' not head." He corrected.

"No," She mused. " With you the pain is always in my head." He tossed her the keys and they headed home.

It was half past midnight. After they had showered and gotten into their pajamas, Tony had insisted that they stay up and watch "A Christmas Story." He had pulled the cushions off of the couch, and all the pillows off of the bed, making a palette on the floor. Wrapped up in her favorite comforter, and the arms of her favorite man, Ziva couldn't help but laugh at the silly movie. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt like this. Like everything was simple and there was nothing to worry about. She was just about to doze off when the movie finally ended. Tony got up and stretched, and then went to the dining room, coming back with a few brightly wrapped packages.

"Well, it's officially Christmas morning, so I think it's okay if we open these." He grinned as she sat up and got comfortable. "These two are for the baby."

She smiled as she looked at the first package. The tag read, 'To: Little D, From: Big D." It felt slightly heavy, and she was pretty sure she knew what it was. Opening it up, she found three books stacked on top of each other.

"'Oh, The Places You'll Go,' 'The Giving Tree,' and 'The Little Prince.' Did you pick these out all on your own?" She teased, leaning over to give him a kiss.

"Yeah, well, I know you don't want him to spend _all_ of his time in front of the television… open this one!" He handed her a small, rectangle shaped jewelry box. This one simply said, 'To: Baby, From: Daddy.' Ziva looked at him suspiciously and then teased.

"I know that this baby is going to be half Italian, Tony, but if this is one of those gawdy gold chains, it's going to be a long time before he has any chest hair to go with it." As she opened the box, she instantly grinned, kissing him again, this time with more passionately. Inside the box was a very small gold necklace, with a very small Star of David on it. She picked it up, letting the chain hang from her fingers.

"It is beautiful, Tony." She breathed, thoroughly touched by his thoughtful gift. She placed it back in the box and they finished opening the rest of the presents.

When they were done, and the mess was cleaned up, Tony tried to talk her into sleeping on the makeshift bed in the living room with him.

"C'mon… it'll be romantic! Nothing but the Christmas tree lights on… C'mon!" She rolled her eyes at him.

"I have a hard enough time sleeping as it is, I am _not_ sleeping on the living room floor."

"Spoil sport…" He mumbled. She glared at him for a second.

"You know when Abby is really excited, and she jumps on you and clings to your neck? Imagine sleeping with her hanging there like that." He looked at her in mock suspicion.

"Are you asking me to imagine myself sleeping with Abby?" She swatted him and they dragged the pillows and comforter back into the bedroom and went to sleep.


	14. Stubborn Baby

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post this. It's been a really busy week with work and getting my son ready to start preschool next week. Plus our County Fair was this weekend… yeah. Busy! The next two chapters are already written and will be posted tomorrow. The baby's name will be revealed soon, promise!**

Baby Dinozzo seemed to like to do cartwheels all day long. All day, that is, until his Daddy's hand came near Mommy's belly. The baby had been kicking for a couple of weeks now, and Tony had yet to feel it.

The first time he had kicked, Ziva had been down in the lab, helping Abby. Gibbs had taken pity on her, letting her get away from her desk when she had finished her paperwork to play lab assistant for a little while. Abby had a hunch that it might have more to do with the death threats Ziva had been making against Tim and Jason than pity, but she cheerfully accepted the company anyway.

Ziva had been down there for a couple of hours, actually somewhat enjoying herself. At least she was learning something, and she got to shoot a gun a few times when Abby needed to run a ballistic test. She knew that she shouldn't be down there when Abby was working with chemicals and organic materials, but today she was all computers and guns. The only thing Ziva could really complain about was Abby's taste in music, and the forensic scientist had been kind enough to at least keep it turned down.

Ziva was sitting at Abby's desk, looking something up on her computer and frowning at the screen. One hand was absentmindedly rubbing her belly when it suddenly moved under her palm. Her eyes opened wide and she looked down in surprise. She rubbed again a little harder, trying to get him to do it again, and he obliged. A slow smile spread across her face and she jumped up in excitement to go tell Abby.

Of course, Abby had felt him kick that day. And a couple of times since. Ziva silenced anyone else's requests to touch her with a look. Not that many had tried. But when she got home that night and tried to get the baby to kick for Tony, he adamantly refused. In fact, every night since then he had refused. He kicked at work all day long, but once they were home, he was still. Tony would lay with his ear against her belly, talking to the baby and trying to bribe him into kicking. He'd already offered favorite child status (like he had any competition), a puppy, a pony, even a red Ferrari like Magnum's. Ziva thought it was a little but funny, as if their child was telling his father already that he would not do anything he didn't want to do. Tony didn't find it funny at all, attributing his son's stubbornness to his mother.

Tony even tried to feel the baby kick at work. If he saw Ziva in the elevator or if they happened to be able to get away for lunch, but still no luck. It was starting to bum him out.

So now Friday night had rolled around, and Tony decided to surprise Ziva with a date night. Who knew how many there would be after the baby was born, and there hadn't really been any before she got pregnant. He took her to dinner at a beautiful little Italian restaurant, and then to an action movie (her choice). He had bought her flowers for the coffee table, and put on a soft jazz cd while he gave her a neck massage when they got home.

A while later, when he was laying in bed, Ziva pressed up against his side, head on his chest, Tony was pleased with himself. He was thinking about what a great date night he'd planned and how lucky Ziva was to have him when he felt something move just above his hip. Ziva tilted her head to grin up at him and quickly grabbed his hand, moving it to the spot. The baby kicked again and Ziva's grin grew wider.

Tony look at her and then back to his hand for a few moments, eyes wide. And then he smiled, repositioning himself and Ziva so that he could whisper thank you's to his son and explain that he had only been kidding about the pony.


	15. That Which We Call A Rose

**A/N: Some people are not going to like my choice of a name, but remember please that I do not write NCIS, this is simply my little fan fiction. I let someone else read this and she got seriously irritated with me for not naming the kid Jethro Timothy Dinozzo. I told her to go write her own fan fiction. :-P So anyway….**

**Disclaimer: I own one small, hyper child. I wouldn't trade him for the rights to NCIS, but it **_**would**_** be a tempting offer… Just kidding Baby Boy, Momma loves you!**

Tony lay on the bed, watching Ziva get ready for the day. Every morning she religiously rubbed lotion over her body, over the big baby belly, her breasts, her arms, and finally her legs. Some mornings he would pull her to the bed to help her, and they'd laugh and wrestle over the lotion bottle. Some mornings he would pull her hands away from her hair, telling her to leave it down and curly. Just the way he liked it. Just the way it had been when they first met. And some mornings he would make her sit on the bed while he put her socks and shoes on and pretended that she was Cinderella, talking to her in his cheesy Prince Charming voice while she laughed.

But not this morning. Ziva was in a particularly crabby mood this morning, and Tony was afraid to even open his mouth. Who knew what damage she could do with that straight iron she had warming on the dresser? She was starting to fix her hair when she noticed him watching her in the mirror.

"What?" She snapped, "What do you want, Tony?" He watched her cautiously and then shrugged.

"Nothing." She glared at him, but went back to her hair.

When it was finally straightened and pulled up into a pony tail, and her clothes and make-up were on, she slipped on a pair of flats and sighed. She had worn her boots well into her fifth month, but it had been tennis shoes and flats since she'd been stuck at her desk. She felt so… short. Rubbing her belly, she checked out her profile in the mirror.

"How is it possible to feel so big and so small at the same time?" She asked herself out loud. Tony got up off the bed now to grab her coat and hand it to her.

"You don't have that much longer," He grinned as she glared at him. "Come on, or we'll be late."

Ziva's bad mood did not go away when she got to work. She had yelled at and threatened her computer in Hebrew several times. She had slammed the filing cabinets so many times an with such passion that Jason now jumped every time she walked past him. She had kicked the copy machine over and over until McGee had pulled her gently away from it, promising to make the copies for her. She had even been snappy to Ducky, for which she had promptly apologized. Palmer would only speak to her in "yes" or "no" answers, not daring to look her in the face.

By lunchtime, Gibbs had had enough. The team did not have a case, so McGee had sent the Probie out to get some lunch for everyone. The others were sitting at their desks, working on their computers. Ziva stopped typing and rubbed her temples for a few moments, Gibbs watching her. Finally, he stood up and grabbed his things, heading to her desk.

"Get your stuff, we're going out to lunch."

"What? Gibbs, I-"

"Grab your stuff, David, let's go!" He headed for the elevator. She looked at Tim questioningly, but he just shrugged. She grabbed her coat and bag and jumped up to follow.

An hour and a half later, they came strolling back into the bullpen, a peaceful smile on Ziva's face and a self satisfied smirk on Gibbs'. This time Tim looked at Ziva questioningly, but she just sat down at her desk and opened up the sandwich that Jason had gotten for her that was waiting there. She took a bite and started typing on her computer. Jason and Tim looked at each other and then shrugged.

A few minutes later Ziva got up to use the restroom. As she walked away, McGee looked over at Gibbs.

"Boss? "

"I took her to the gun range, McGee. "He told him without looking up, "She had to get that energy out. It was either that or let her kill one of you."

McGee nodded. "And you hate training new agents."

Gibbs looked up with a small smile and a lift of his eyebrow.

Later that evening, Ziva and Tony sat at their dining room table, looking at paint sample cards. Tony had made some of the guys promise to come help him paint over the weekend, so they had to decide their colors and get everything ready. Ziva sat back and pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket, handing it to him.

"I think that it is time our baby had a name. That is my list." Tony looked it over and snorted.

"Nuri? What kind of a name is Nuri?" He was laughing loudly now and she reached over to pinch him.

"It's a good Hebrew name." She scowled.

"Jacob? At least that sounds like a real name. No. Aaron? No. Isaac? Nuh-uh. Kaleb Dinozzo? Nope. None of these sound right." He shook his head as his eyes scanned the list. Ziva sighed, exasperated.

"Fine then, _you_ name him. And his name can not be James Bond Dinozzo or Vin Diesel Dinozzo. Yes, I saw the list you had by the bed."

"What about-"

"Not Jack Sparrow Dinozzo, either."

"But what about-"

"No." He stuck his tongue out at her and looked over her list again.

"To be honest, I'm glad to see that there's no Eli or Ari on this list." He said it quietly, afraid it might make her mad that he didn't want to name his son after someone from her family. She bit her lip and looked away.

"You should've known better than that, Tony. Why would I want to name my child after the two men who betrayed me worse than anyone else ever could? I want him to have his own name." She was irritated now that he'd even thought that. He rubbed her arm a little and set the list in front of her. He pointed down at a name.

"That one. I can live with that." She picked up the list and smiled.

"Me, too. And I think that Anthony should be his middle name. That way he has his own name an still a sense of family." He nodded and she picked up a pen to write it out, to see the full name on paper.

"Samuel Anthony Dinozzo." She wrote, and he pulled the pen and paper away from her.

"What about 'Samuel Anthony David Dinozzo?' He could have two middle names." He wrote it out and handed it back to her. She smiled again and nodded.

"Hebrew, Italian, Hebrew, Italian. Definitely a sense of family in that." He reached over to rub her belly.

"Hear that, little Sam? You finally have a name." She gave him a little peck on the lips and picked up a paint card.

"And now for the really important decision," She teased.


	16. What's Love Got To Do With It?

**A/N: Just want to say thank you to all my awesome reviewers. You're all incredibly awesome, but I wanna throw an extra thank you out there to the four or five of you who review almost every chapter. You know who you are and you're the greatest. 3 3 3 **

The nursery was beautiful. Gibbs had come over to tape the lines up on the walls and help Tony put the crib and rocking chair together. Abby and McGee had painted the walls (and each other). Gibbs had built two small bookshelves as a gift for the baby, and he put Palmer to work painting them to match the walls. Ziva made them all dinner, supervising their work when she wasn't in the kitchen.

They had decided on a nautical theme. It seemed only right, since Sam's parents had met each other while working for the Navy. Thick blue stripes were painted on one wall. The opposite wall was painted a solid blue, the other two walls remained white. Red curtains were hung up on the two small windows, and between the windows went one of Gibbs' bookshelves. The other went on the opposite wall. The crib went against the striped wall, and the rocking chair neatly into a corner. A small white dresser went against the solid blue wall. Ziva and Tony had gone shopping one weekend, and they had found a couple of little delicate wooden sail boats. These went on a shelf above the dresser. A red rug was thrown in the middle of the room, and the letters S A M were painted red and hung above the bed. Abby put a net up in a corner of the ceiling and filled it with all different sorts of stuffed animal fish.

When everything was done and the paint was dry and everyone was fed and properly thanked, Ziva and Tony hung up all the baby's things in the closet. They put all his tiny little socks and hats and onesies into the dresser. His ever growing collection of children's classics went onto the bookshelves, and his bedding was put on the crib. A couple of cushions went on the rocking chair, and now the only thing missing was the actual baby himself.

Tony woke up that night and rolled over to find himself alone in the bed. He sat up and blinked in the dark. He could hear a faint squeaking noise coming from down the hall and set out to investigate. As he got to the baby's room. He stopped to lean against the doorframe. Ziva was rocking in the rocking chair, rubbing her belly and staring off into space. She looked almost sad, and Tony frowned. He watched her for a few minutes before pushing off from the doorframe to come further into the room.

"I'll have to put some WD-40 on that thing. It's awfully squeaky." He startled her, and she wiped at her eyes before smiling and nodding.

"Yes. I did not mean to wake you." He knelt down in front of her so she'd look at him, one hand on each arm of the rocking chair.

"What's wrong, Ziva?"

"Nothing, it is the pregnancy hormones or something. And now that the room is finished, I am just feeling a little bit overwhelmed. Like the baby could be here at any minute." She admitted. He patted her belly gently and then laid a kiss on her hand.

"We still have a little time, he's not here just yet." She bit her lip and nodded.

"What else is wrong?" He pressed. She was quiet for a little bit, looking over his head at the wall before she finally spoke again.

"Why are we together, Tony? Is it because of the baby?" She asked.

"Ziva, I already told you… it's not the baby, I love you."

"Yes, but _why_ do you love me?" She looked down at him now, tears threatening to spill over her lower lashes. Tony studied her face a little. That's what this was about? Ziva was feeling unlovable? He would've laughed if he thought she wouldn't kill him.

"What do you mean, '_Why?' _What's not to love? You're dangerous _and _beautiful. With your martial arts skills and that ass, you could've been a Bond girl." He joked, but she shook her head a little, so he went on. "Ziva… I don't know why I love you, I just do. I have for a long time. Now stop worrying. You deserve this. We both do. We deserve to be happy and loved and we deserve to have this baby and be a family, so stop worrying and just enjoy this." She nodded and gave a little half smile. He squinted at her before asking, "Why do you love me?"

"Who knows? You are irritating and infuriating and your incessant movie references drive me insane. But still I love you." She gave a playful little slap on the cheek and pushed him back so that she could stand up, grinning now. He stood up as well, pulling her into a hug. He kissed her temple and pulled her hand to lead her back to bed.

A few days later, it was getting pretty late in the evening. Gibbs and Ziva were the only ones left in the bullpen. McGee had gone down to the lab, and Gibbs had let McKenzie head home. Ziva was still working on paperwork. She sighed and pushed back in her chair, standing up. One hand rubbed back and forth across her ribs, trying to coax a certain little foot back down.

"You will be able to stretch out soon, little baby. But not while you are in there." She mumbled. Gibbs raised an eyebrow and got up, coming around his desk to stand near her.

"Foot in the ribs?" He asked. She nodded and he put one hand on her baby bump, leaning down to talk to it. "Hey, knock it off in there. Your mom's got work to do." The baby gave one little kick and then settled down. Ziva grinned.

"How did you do that?" Gibbs smirked and went back to his desk.

"You let him start calling the shots now, Ziver, you'll be headed for trouble." Ziva laughed and they both sat down and went back to work.


	17. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or it's characters.**

Tony could hear talking come from his bedroom. The voices were definitely female. He made his way to the open bedroom door and smiled at the site that greeted him. Ziva was sitting on his bed, propped up on a mountain of pillows, hands clasped peacefully over her giant belly. Abby was sitting down at the foot of the bed, back against the wall, painting Ziva's toenails a dark purple color. A movie was playing on the television that sat on his dresser and both women were laughing.

Ziva had been on maternity leave for a few days now. The baby was due in a little over a week, and Tony was glad to see that Abby had come over to visit her. Ziva seemed so restless lately. She'd already cleaned the condo from top to bottom, cooked about a half a dozen meals that had gone into the freezer, and unfolded and refolded everything in the baby's closet. She had even rearranged the books on Sam's bookshelf more than once. First by size, then alphabetically. He was sure they'd be arranged by the Dewey Decimal System by the end of the week.

Tony stayed out of sight for a few more minutes, listening to them chat. They seemed to be watching a comedy, but he still wanted to make sure that Ziva was in a good mood before he stepped in.

"Did you and Tony take any childbirth classes?" Abby asked, curiously. She hadn't heard either of them mention any. Ziva laughed.

"Abby, pain management is part of Mossad training. I was interrogated for months in Somalia and did not break. I do not think that taking one of those classes the hospital offers is necessary."

Abby looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh yeah, I guess not." She closed the nail polish, "There, all done!" Ziva lifted her feet up off the bed a little to see and smiled.

"Thank you, Abby. They look very nice." Abby beamed.

Ziva had never really been the sort of woman to have 'girlfriends,' let alone do something like letting one of them paint her nails. In fact, as much as she enjoyed Abby's company, sometimes she felt a little awkward around her. Ziva was used to being surrounded by men. Used to talking with them and interacting with them. Used to trying to prove herself to them. But having a little life growing inside her had made Ziva think about some things. She no longer felt like part of her Israeli family, so she was building herself a new one. She never wanted to feel like she was alone again. She never wanted to wonder if she should trust the people in her life again. She chose who the people were now, so there was no doubt. Ziva wanted to make sure that she built a strong support system around her. Not just for herself, but for Samuel. If having a Girls' Day with Abby meant that she had someone fiercely loyal and caring and smart in their life, she could handle that.

Tony cleared his throat and leaned against the doorframe, grinning.

"Two women in my bed… I've had this dream before." He twitched his eyebrows up and down a couple of times before coming to sit on the edge of the bed. Abby laughed and Ziva watched him with a small smile on her face. He gestured to her feet and gave her a slightly suspicious look.

"You let Abby paint your nails?" She scowled at him.

"Yes, Tony. Why is that so hard to believe? And before you answer, you may want to choose your words wisely. I am still irritated with you for the mess you left me in the kitchen when you left this morning." He gave Abby a look that clearly said "Yikes" and she laughed again.

"I was in a hurry. I was running late. Sorry… won't happen again." He mumbled.

"Never apologize-" Ziva started, and they all finished in unison, "Sign of weakness." They laughed and Ziva reached over to pinch his arm.

"I will let you live. This time. But next time you will not be so lucky. I am not your maid." Tony took her hand and kissed it over and over again comically, as if he was thanking her for her mercy. She pulled it away and swatted him before turning to Abby.

"Let's go for a walk. I am getting sick of being indoors, and Tony can make us dinner while we're gone."

"Hey…" Tony started, but she silenced him with a look and he closed him mouth and nodded.

"Sounds like a plan!" Abby jumped off the bed and went to find her shoes.

Less than an hour later, Tony was sitting on the couch, feet up on the coffee table. He had ordered a couple of pizzas and was now flipping through the channels on the television when Abby burst through the front door.

"Tony! Either Ziva just peed on herself, or her water broke. And since I can't see Ziva peeing on herself, I think it's her water. I mean, if she did pee on herself I could totally understand. All that extra weight on her bladder and stuff, and it would totally be an accident, but-" Tony jumped up and cut her off.

"Where is Ziva, Abby?" He grabbed her by the arms.

"Right here," Ziva pushed past Abby with a disgusted look on her face. She went straight into the bathroom and shut the door, calling out to Tony, "Get my overnight bag, Tony! And throw me some clothes! Dry pants and socks! And a different pair of shoes!"

When she was ready and they had everything they needed, they headed off to the hospital. Abby hugged them both and then watched them drive away, a huge smile on her face. She got into her own car and flipped her phone open to call McGee.


	18. Happy Birthday, Sammy!

**A/N: Ok, so I know I totally could've written a lot more about this pregnancy, but I was worried that with the school year starting and how busy I've been that I would forget to write and then the story would never get finished. There are more chapters after this, they just aren't typed up yet. I just wanted to let you know why I didn't have more chapters involving all the fun pregnancy stuff. : ) Also, I know that I just posted the chapter before this, but I'm not one to hold out chapters for reviews, and I like to post them as soon as I get them typed. But you can still review if you want ; ) Enjoy. Or don't. But hopefully you do!**

Ziva's labor had taken nearly eighteen hours. She laid in the bed as little as possible, walking the hospital hallways and leaning on chairs in her room. She never ceased to amaze Tony. Not only did she labor without medication, she hadn't done any of the screaming he'd come to expect from watching television. Every once in a while, she would let out a moan or a small grunt, but for the most part, she scrunched her face up, made a fist, and worked through the contractions by rocking her body and breathing deep. Sometimes she'd hold onto one of the chairs in the room and squat down. Tony was not permitted to touch her. She had actually threatened him with bodily harm when he tried to rub her shoulders. But he stood nearby, watching anxiously. He brought her a cool washcloth when she requested it, and tried to make jokes to keep her distracted.

Ziva hadn't wanted anyone else at the hospital with them, and Tony had had to promise Abby that he would call her the second the baby was born to keep her away. He had a sneaking suspicion that she was in the hospital parking lot, waiting with her phone in her hand. She had probably even dragged McGee along with her.

Finally, the doctor made her get into the bed so that he could check her, and informed them that it was time for her to push. At eight forty seven Tuesday morning, Samuel Anthony David Dinozzo came screaming into the world. Tony proudly cut the cord. Red faced and arms flailing, the doctor had laid the baby on Ziva's chest and she had actually cried. She didn't try to hide it or wipe the tears away, she cried openly and reached for Tony's hand. Sweaty and exhausted, he knew that he had never seen her look more beautiful. He kissed her knuckles and stayed near her while they took the baby to weigh him and measure him and check him out. Only after the doctors were finished cleaning her up and she had told him he could, did he go to take pictures of the baby and then step out to call Abby.

It took Abby and McGee exactly seven minutes to get up to the maternity ward, and Tony knew that his suspicions had been right. He was still standing in the hallway calling people when Abby pounced on him.

"Where is he? Is Ziva okay? Is the baby okay? Can we see him?" She held a dozen blue tinted roses in a blue vase and a couple of balloons. She didn't even wait for him to answer before she pushed past him and into the room.

"You know Abby," McGee shrugged at him apologetically. "Patience is not her middle name." He punched him lightly on the arm. "Congratulations, Daddy."

"Thanks. I've got one more call, I'll be in in a minute." McGee nodded and followed Abby into the room. Tony flipped open his phone and called one of his aunts.

Inside the room, Ziva was laying in the bed, holding a freshly cleaned and wrapped up little Sam. A nurse had helped her wash her face and put her hair into a neat pony tail. She smiled when she saw her friends and waved them over. She had pulled off the little cap the nurses had put on the baby and was rubbing the top of his head gently with one finger.

"Awwww… he's so cute! He looks just like you, Ziva. Look at those curls! And that little nose! I could just eat him!" Ziva laughed and McGee put a hand on Abby's arm as if to hold her back.

"Easy, Abs, back away from the baby," He teased. She made a face at him and went to set her gifts on the windowsill.

"Thank you, Abby. The flowers are beautiful." Ziva smiled.

"Can I hold the baby?" Abby pleaded, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Just then, Tony walked back into the room.

"Tony first. He has not held him yet." Tony went straight to her and picked the baby up gently, afraid to drop him or let his head fall back. He went over by the window and turned away from the rest of them, staring into the face of his newborn son as if the rest of them were not in the room.

"Hello there, little Sam. I am your Daddy. Your Mommy and I have been waiting a very long time to see you." He kissed both of the babies cheeks and then rocked him a little back and forth. McGee and Abby looked at each other, grinning. Ziva took a deep breath and bit her lip, overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of them.

An hour and a half later, the room was filled with people. Abby had finally gotten to hold Sam, and had begrudgingly handed him off to the next person. She was snapping pictures left and right. Everyone had held him, and even though they were in a hospital with full medical staff, Ducky had unwrapped him and looked him over, pronouncing him perfect to everyone's amusement. He had fallen back to sleep, wrapped tightly in his blanket and peacefully unaware as he was handed around. Palmer had held him nervously, he could feel Tony watching him like a hawk. He quickly handed him off to McGee. McGee bounced him lightly in his arms for a few minutes, big silly grin on his face. Finally, last but not least, he had put him into Gibbs' arms. Gibbs sat down in the rocking chair and rocked the baby, smiling down at him and letting him grip his pinky finger. His thoughts had gone momentarily to another baby he had held much like this; in a hospital much like this. But he let the thought go, standing to hand the baby back to Tony. Everyone else crowded around the new daddy. Ziva smiled at the sight of them. Gibbs came over to the bed and bent down to lay a kiss on her forehead. With his lips still against her skin, he whispered.

"Good job, Momma." Her smile widened and he rubbed her arm before heading for the door.

"It's Tuesday, so everyone whose last name does not begin with a "D" needs to get to work." He patted Tony on the back and headed out. They all said their goodbyes, hugging Ziva and shaking Tony's hand. Abby planted a little kiss on the baby's head and they were gone.

Tony handed Sam back to Ziva and pulled out his camera to take a few mother-son photos. Soon a nurse came in to help Ziva try to breastfeed the baby for the first time. They asked her to take a family photo and Tony bent down near the bed so they could all get in the shot.

While the nurse helped Ziva to get Sam to latch on correctly, Tony looked through the camera at all the pictures. He couldn't wait to print them out. When the baby was finally eating, the nurse left and Tony had to laugh at the faces Ziva was making.

"How can someone so little- ow!" She gave Tony a shocked look.

"He doesn't have teeth, Ziva, it can't be that bad!" She scowled at him.

"Okay, the next time he is hungry, _you_ get to feed him!" Ziva stuck out her tongue at him and shifted herself and the baby around in the bed to get more comfortable. "It's alright, it just feels strange." She looked down lovingly at her son. "I will get used to it." Tony put one finger under her chin to lift her face up and give her a kiss. They both watched Sam eat and enjoyed their little bit of family time before the next visitors arrived.


	19. Fathers

**A/N: Sorry this took so long! My computer died on me and it took two paychecks before I could get it fixed :/ Plus now I've lost everything that was on it, but no worries. I am busy re-typing stuff.**

"All I'm saying, Junior, is that your mother would've wanted you to marry the girl."

"Dad! We've had this conversation. Ziva and I are not ready to get married."

"Ready or not, you've got a baby now! My grandson deserves to have his parents married! You kids these days don't think things through-"

"And you do?"

Ziva shook her head and kissed the little fingers of her sleeping baby. Both Anthony DiNozzos were out in the hospital hallway, arguing. They'd been out there for quite some time now, and they were starting to get louder. Not that she was really all that concerned with being embarrassed herself, but she wished they would give it up already. Agree to disagree or something.

"Tony!" She called out quietly, not wanting to disturb Samuel. Both Dinozzo men hurried into the room.

"What do you need, Ziva?" They asked at the same time. The younger Tony glared at his father, who ignored him and smiled at Ziva.

"Mr. DiNozzo, would you like to hold the baby?" She asked, lifting him up a little and handing him over. She smiled at him and then turned to Tony. "Would you get me something to eat, please? The food they brought me earlier can hardly be called food and I am starving."

"What would you like?"

"Surprise me." She shrugged and smiled again, encouragingly. Tony nodded and then threw another scowl towards his father before leaving.

The older DiNozzo was rocking his grandson back and forth, one finger in the baby's palm.

"You're such a handsome boy. Aren't you? And you've got a strong DiNozzo grip." He went over to sit in the rocking chair with the baby and Ziva sat up straighter in the bed.

"Mr. DiNozzo…" She started.

"Ziva! I told you to call me Tony!"

"Ah yes, _Tony_… Tony and I, the other Tony, that is… we have discussed marriage, and-" He cut her off.

"Don't let my boy weasel his way out of it, Ziva. He needs to take responsibility for this child. And for you, too." Ziva bit the inside of her cheek in slight annoyance at the thought of anyone having to take responsibility for her, but shook the feeling away.

"You misunderstand. Tony has already offered to marry me, it is I who turned him down." He studied her for a minute.

"Oh. I see."

"Do not get me wrong, I care very much about Tony. We are in a committed relationship, and we are both very committed to Samuel. But I will not have a rifle wedding. I only plan on getting married once, and I will not make that decision lightly." She shrugged a bit, looking down at her hands, which were fiddling with her blanket. "When Tony asks me again, I don't want him to be thinking about what is best for Samuel. We will always take care of him, we have vowed that to each other already. The next time he asks I want him to be thinking of no one but me." Mr. DiNozzo laughed.

"You're a romantic, Ziva!" She couldn't help but smile a little at the thought. "You remind me a little of Tony's mother. I remember the day that he was born…"

"Tell me about it," She said, cheerfully, but just then, Tony walked back in with a sandwich from the cafeteria. He placed it on the bedside table and then went around to his father, holding his arms out for the baby. The older DiNozzo handed him over and then stood up, smoothing his suit jacket down.

"Maybe another time, Ziva. I should get going." He went over to give her a kiss on the cheek and then stood in front of Tony. "Make sure you bring my grandson up to visit me soon, Junior." He gave him a hug, careful not to crush the baby. Tony told him goodbye and then he was gone.

Ziva unwrapped her sandwich and Tony came to sit on the side of the bed, rocking the baby gently in his arms.

"The term is 'shot gun wedding,' Ziva." He said quietly, letting her know that he had heard her.

"Hmm?"

"It's not 'rifle wedding.' A shotgun wedding is when the girl's father marches you down the aisle at the end of his shotgun, most commonly because you knocked her up."

"My father owns many weapons, but I do not believe that he owns a shotgun, Tony. You are safe." She smiled for a moment, but then the humor left her eyes and she went back to picking at her sandwich. He knew she was thinking about her father now, and he watched her thoughtfully.

"We're a family now, Ziva. Married or not, we're a family." He reached over to squeeze her hand and she looked from the beautiful baby in his arms up to his face and smiled again.

"Yes. Yes we are."

It was late in the evening when Gibbs came back to visit. Ziva was fast asleep, slightly snoring. Tony was lounging on an armchair watching the television silently, Sam on his chest.

He raised a hand in greeting when he noticed Gibbs in the doorway. Gibbs glanced at the snoring Ziva and then back at Tony with a smirk.

"Think I can get them to take out her adenoids while she's in here?" Tony joked. Gibbs came over to take the baby from him and sat in the rocking chair. He held the child against his chest, one hand lightly rubbing his back.

"So how was your first day of fatherhood, DiNozzo?" They kept their voices down, careful not to wake Ziva.

"Long. Lots of visitors, not a lot of time for it to sink in. I think I'll officially be terrified once we get him home." He sat up. "My father came to visit. He's disappointed in us for not getting married." He glanced over at Gibbs, wondering what his opinion was. Gibbs kept on rocking the baby. After a full minute of silence, Tony cleared his throat and tried again.

"What do you think? About us not being married?" The older man smiled and shook his head.

"I've been married four times, DiNozzo. Getting married is easy. It's living together and making it work that are hard." The baby squirmed a little and he patted his back. "I've watched you two play grab-ass for years. And I've also seen how much you care about each other. A piece of paper and a name change isn't going to change that." The baby squirmed some more and Gibbs stood to hand him over to Tony. "I think someone needs a diaper change, _Daddy_."

Tony put the baby on the changing pad and started changing his diaper. When he had pulled the old one off, he quickly covered the baby's little penis with a new one while he wiped him up.

"Look at that, you're an expert already," Gibbs joked.

"Just comes naturally. Fatherly instincts, I guess." A snort was heard from the bed and both men turned to it's source.

"Oh yes, instincts and the fact that he got peed on in the face earlier." Ziva smirked and Gibbs chuckled. Tony frowned.

"How ya feeling, Ziva?" Gibbs asked.

"Not bad. A little sore as to be expected, but mostly good." She smiled and pulled back her blanket, sliding off the bed to come take the baby from Tony as he was done changing him. Gibbs noticed her sweatpants and t-shirt and raised an eyebrow at Tony.

"She was tired of her ass hanging out, sent me home to get her some clothes." Gibbs chuckled again.

"If you would have brought them with in the first place like I asked, you would not have had to go back." She grabbed a receiving blanket from the top of the baby's bag and sat down in the chair to nurse him, using it to cover up. Gibbs averted his eyes.

"Jason wanted me to tell you congratulations. He was going to come up and tell you himself, but I told him that that probably wasn't a good idea." He was looking at Tony when he said it, and Tony scowled. Ziva laughed.

"You may tell him thank you for me."

"Vance's still not back from Las Angeles, but he wanted me to send his congrats, too." He cleared his throat. "He also wanted me to tell you, Ziva, that your father called him. Seems he heard about the baby and wanted to know how you were. And if you had received the flowers he sent."

"I did." Her eyes flicked over to the lilies that had been unceremoniously shoved into a garbage can. "They came this morning. The director may tell him that they were received, but not appreciated. I knew that my father probably had someone keeping an eye on me. Now I know that it is a close eye, if he was able to receive word about Samuel's birth and send flowers so quickly."

"You should have told me if you thought someone was following you, Ziva."

"I did not specifically notice anyone, Gibbs, I simply know my father."

Gibbs nodded. If he had his way, he'd fly to Tel Aviv tonight and be done with worrying about Eli David. How dare he send flowers and pretend to worry about the wellbeing of his daughter and newborn grandson after all the things he had put her through. But Gibbs wouldn't voice his opinions tonight, he didn't want to upset her. Tony was looking at him, and he nodded once to tell him that they would take care of this later.

They spent the next half hour chatting about the baby and work related stuff. When the baby was done feeding he had fallen back to sleep and Ziva placed him in the little plastic baby crib. They all said their goodbyes and she got back into the bed. Tony pulled the cot the nurses had brought him over next to it and laid down as well. It had been a long day. Ziva had brought the baby's bed close to her other side and she watched him sleep as Tony watched her.

"What're you thinking about?" He asked after a few minutes.

"About how beautiful he is. He's so little and perfect."

"Yeah. He looks just like his mother," he grinned at her. She turned to smile at him mischievously.

"I was thinking he looks a bit like McGee." She joked and he pinched her arm, hard. She jumped and then pinched him back.

"That is not even funny, Ziva!" She laughed so hard at the look on his face that she snorted and had to cover her mouth with her hand.

"I thought it was."


	20. Mothers

**A/N: So it is my opinion that during those four months that Gibbs was gone way back between season 3 and 4 there was no secret Tony/Ziva relationship going on. The pictures that are shown to Ziva of Tony coming over to her house every week in "Shalom"? She was totally giving him piano lessons. ;-) **

**Also, this chapter is so fluffy, I recommend brushing and flossing after you read it so that your teeth don't rot. I'm still not really happy with it, but after rewriting it again and again, I felt that it was time to just post it. Next chapter is better, longer, and will be up tomorrow.**

"_That_ is a lot of meat." Ziva was sitting on the couch, having just finished nursing the baby. They had been home from the hospital for two days now, and she was starting to feel like she was always nursing the baby. She watched through the kitchen doorway as Tony was pulling out different cuts of meat, all wrapped in paper, from a package that had just been delivered.

"It's for the baby." He told her. She raised an eyebrow at him. "It's from my Uncle Vincenzo. The butcher, remember? Italians like to send food to celebrate when a baby is born. Or someone gets married. Or graduates. Or to comfort you when someone dies. Or … actually, Italians just like to feed each other." She laughed and nodded.

"Italians and Jews have this in common."

"I remember when my mom died, our freezers were full for months afterwards. Which was funny, because my dad had a maid who did all our cooking." He started packing some of the meat into their freezer and chuckled to himself a little as he remembered. "He thought she made a mean mastaccioli . Turns out it was my Aunt Rosina's."

She laughed, too, and nodded. "Yes, even as my father was teaching me to use a knife on another person, my mother was teaching me to use one in the kitchen. 'Every woman needs to know how to cook, Ziva. You'll never find a good Jewish husband if you can't cook!'" She mimicked, smiling. He finished putting the meat away and came to lean over her and give her a small kiss.

"I don't know about a Jewish husband, but those lessons definitely paid off. I love your cooking."

"Is that your way of asking me to make dinner?" She teased.

"Nope. In fact, why don't you go take a nap? I'll take care of the baby." He took Sam from her, and her smile grew wider. She knew he'd be heading back to work Monday, and he would miss being home with them all day. She got up, giving him a kiss on the cheek before going into the bedroom.

Ziva was awoken a little while later by the sound of music playing. It was dark out now, and she slid out of bed and picked up her robe, wrapping it around her before heading out to the dining room. She paused at the doorway and leaned against it, arms folded and smiling. Tony was sitting at her piano, playing a song. He looked so handsome and cuddly sitting there in his brown t-shirt and pajama pants. His hair stuck up all over. Samuel was in his swing, next to the piano, asleep. Tony finished his song and turned to whisper to his son.

"That was a song that _my_ mother used to play. And _this _is a song that your mother taught me." He started another song and Ziva's heart skipped a little. She had played it for him so long ago, it was one that her own mother had taught her and Tali. She couldn't believe that he remembered, she had only played it for him the one time. It was a simple children's song, one of the first she had learned to play from memory. She unfolded her arms and made her way over to stand behind him. Her hands rested on his shoulders and he glanced up to smile at her, still continuing to play. She sang along quietly in Hebrew, watching the baby rock peacefully back and forth. When the song was over, she leaned over to kiss the top of Tony's head.

"You play beautifully."

"I had a good teacher."


	21. Sexy, Unsexy

Ziva loved Samuel more than she had ever imagined she could love anyone. She loved him so much, sometimes she thought her heart might burst just at the thought of him. That being said, staying home with him all day was driving her out of her mind. With four weeks left of her maternity leave, she and Tony decided to start interviewing nannies for when Ziva went back to work. After a few that they weren't too sure about, they finally found one they liked.

Her name was Esther, and she was twenty five. She spoke three languages, could cook, and could be flexible with the hours that she worked. With Tony and Ziva's work schedule, it was important that they have someone who could be there if they had to work late. Esther started coming two days a week while Ziva was still home just so that Ziva could feel comfortable with her and Esther could learn Samuel's routine.

She had been coming twice a week for three weeks now when Tony asked her if she could stay the night Saturday and watch the baby. Jimmy Palmer was getting married and he and Ziva were, of course, invited. Ziva had even been looking forward to going. Until Saturday rolled around.

They were supposed to be at the church in an hour and she was standing in the bedroom in her underwear. Tony sat on the edge of the bed, looking extremely handsome in his suit and tie, and he watched as Ziva leaned forward to finish applying her mascara. She put the tube down and added a little lipstick before turning around. She frowned at him. Why did he have to look so sexy when she felt so… unsexy? Not only did she still have a good fifteen pounds of baby fat to lose, but she had to wear little round cloths in her bra to be sure her breasts didn't leak. She had left her hair curly, and was now wondering if she should have straightened it instead.

"Maybe you should just go without me," She started, hands going to her hips. He stood up, picking up her dress off the bed and handing it to her.

"Come on Ziva, we're going to be late." She sighed and pulled the dress on over her head. It was a beautiful shade of green. Floor length with spaghetti straps, she had spent hours shopping with Abby to find something she liked. She slipped on a pair of strappy, gold-colored high heels and looked in the mirror. She was still frowning a bit when Tony pushed her hair to the side to kiss the back of her neck.

"Well? Do I look alright?" She asked. He eyed her suspiciously.

"Do you know who Eric Clapton is?"

"Who?" Her expression was slightly annoyed and he grinned.

"Yes, you look wonderful tonight."

They had a great time at the wedding. Brina made a beautiful bride, and Jimmy couldn't stop smiling the entire evening. Ziva only called to check on the baby three times, which wasn't that many when you considered how many times she _wanted_ to call. She danced with Tony, McGee, Gibbs and even Abby. Tony took turns dancing with her and Abby, and even danced with Mrs. Vance once. Ducky stood up and gave a long-winded speech that made Jimmy blush, much to everyone's amusement.

Every chance he got, Tony whispered to Ziva to let her know how beautiful and sexy she looked until she finally started to believe it.

When the reception had wound down, Tony and Ziva said their goodbyes to Jimmy and Brina and went to look for the others. They found everyone but Tim and Abby, and Ziva was slightly concerned. Abby had drank a little, and she didn't want her friend driving home. Tony went to the coat room to get their things while she looked for them, and he laughed at what he found there. Just inside the door, Abby had McGee pushed up against the wall and was kissing him with suck force that Tony had to clear his throat several times before they noticed him. When they did, they both looked at him sheepishly, like a couple of kids who'd been caught by dad. He laughed again and collected his and Ziva's coats before punching McGee in the arm playfully.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He winked at Abby and went to get Ziva.

"Did you find Abby and McGee?" She asked.

"Yeah, they're fine, don't worry." He told her, grinning. She looked at him questioningly, but he didn't elaborate.

They went home and made love for the first time since the baby was born, careful to be quiet and not wake Esther.

Monday afternoon, Ziva and Samuel headed to the NCIS office to meet Tony for lunch. She found his team working at their computers, but he was nowhere to be found. Megan, the blonde that Ziva was still secretly a little jealous of, let her know that he'd be right back.

Ziva put the baby carrier down and sat in Tony's chair, smiling at the pictures she found on his desk. A framed picture of Samuel, wearing a little OU cap and onesie. A family picture of the three of them, the two of them looking loving down at their son. And a third, slightly hidden behind the other two, of Ziva in her bikini. She narrowed her eyes and picked the picture up, looking around the room. Always a man of good timing, Tony came around the corner just then, grinning.

"You guys ready?" He asked, but his grin slipped as he noticed her scowl. "What's wrong?" She jumped up and shoved the picture frame into his hands.

"Every time I think that I have seen the last of that picture, there it is again. _What_ is this doing on your desk?" She asked through clenched teeth. He scratched the back of his head guiltily and gave her a shrug.

"Oh…um… how did that get there?" He opened the top drawer of his desk, tossing the picture frame in and slamming it shut. He felt someone watching him and turned to glare at his team. They immediately looked away. "Nothing to see here, back to work!" He barked at them, and they all started typing away at their keyboards. He picked up the carseat and headed for the elevator, Ziva following close behind.

"Tony! I work here, too! Do you want me to put half naked pictures of you on my desk?" He raised his eyebrows with the start of a smile on his face and she knew that she had picked the wrong threat. "Enjoy your photo, you will not be seeing the real thing any time soon."

Tony's face fell. They had just finally started having sex again. The elevator opened and as they entered, Tony's team could hear him begging for forgiveness.

"Can't we talk about this?"


End file.
